Quinn, Hekker Help Team Rice to Pro Bowl Win

Robert Quinn and Johnny Hekker both impressed in Team Rice's 22-21 win over Team Sanders in the 2014 Pro Bowl.

In the first-ever unconferenced Pro Bowl, the nation got a chance to see what many Rams fans had already become familiar with from the Pro Bowl’s St. Louis contingent.

The Rams played the 2013 season with some of the top young talent in the league, and that ability was on display Sunday in Honolulu.

DE Robert Quinn and P Johnny Hekker both posted strong performances in their first Pro Bowl appearances, proving their value as ranking among the best in the NFL. Their prime time showing helped their Team Rice teammates to a 22-21 win over Team Sanders.

Quinn finished the day with a sack and a tackle for loss, two statistical areas he was prevalent in throughout the 2013 season, finishing with 19 and 18, respectively. Quinn also deflected a first-quarter pass that resulted in an interception by Vontaze Burfict to help set up the first scoring drive of the afternoon for Team Rice.

For his part, Hekker punted four times, averaging 49 yards per boot. Two of his punts landed inside the 20-yard line, and Team Sanders managed just eight yards on three returns.

Quinn’s performance was a key part of what was a defensive-oriented Pro Bowl, a rarity in recent years. The 43 combined points between the two teams were the fewest since 2006, when the NFC defeated their AFC counterparts 23-17. It took a last-minute scoring drive and two-point conversion for Team Rice to rally for the one-point victory. A last-second, 67-yard field goal attempt by Baltimore’s Justin Tucker fell short to preserve the win.

Quinn and Hekker both received their first Pro Bowl selections following record-breaking seasons for both players. Hekker’s 44.2 net yards per punt was the highest rate in NFL history, and Quinn’s 19 sacks were the most in Rams team history. Quinn’s seven forced fumbles were also the team’s second-most since the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995.

Hekker and Quinn were the first Rams named to the Pro Bowl since Steven Jackson in 2010, and this year marked the first time the team had multiple selections since sending Jackson, Torry Holt and Marc Bulger in 2006.